Lioresal, Baclofen (generic): Frequently Asked Questions
What is Baclofen?
Baclofen is a substance that has been shown in studies to dramatically reduce severe spasticity. When injected into the fluid around the spinal cord, it allows muscles to relax. In addition, because it is delivered directly into the site of action at the spinal cord, it reduces spasticity with small amounts of medication without circulating throughout the body in the blood. This helps to minimize side-effects.
Source: www.teampediatrictherapy.com
Baclofen (the Baclofen pump)?
Please see Question 2 in this regard. In addition, for those families who live a long distance from medical centers and whereby follow-up can be difficult, SPR appears to be a better choice. Candidates for SPR tend to be more strong and selective in their lower extremities and trunk, all ambulatory and wishing to improve their walking skills over time. ...
Source: www.miller-dwan.com
How does a baclofen pump work?
A baclofen pump system includes a programmable pump and catheter that are surgically placed, usually just under the skin of the abdomen. The system delivers a liquid form of the drug baclofen directly to the fluid around the spinal cord. Most people report that the pump is not uncomfortable or restrictive, and does not interfere with their movement. Depending on your body type, it may not show at all under regular clothes.
Source: www.medtronic.com.au
Q Is baclofen safe?
A Baclofen is established as a safe, non-addictive medication with no limiting side effects. It was originally approved by the FDA to treat muscle spasms and similar problems. Neurologists have used it for long term comfort care of both adults and children since the 1960s. A comfort care drug has to meet the highest standard of safety, because you are not trading off the side effects of the drug in order to have a chance of survival from a lethal condition, but simply taking it to improve your quality of life.
Source: www.olivierameisen.com
How does intrathecal baclofen therapy work?
A programmable baclofen pump system includes includes a programmable pump and catheter that are surgically placed, usually just under the skin of the abdomen. The system delivers a liquid form of the drug baclofen directly to the fluid around the spinal cord, where it's needed most. People report that the programmable pump is not uncomfortable or restrictive, and does not interfere with their movement. Depending on your body type, it may not show at all under regular clothes.
Source: www.medtronic.com.au
Why choose BOTOX® over intrathecal Baclofen (the Baclofen pump-ITB) or selective posterior rhizotomy (SPR)?
BOTOX® is only chosen for two or three select muscle groups at a time. Commonly, BOTOX® is injected into the hamstring groups and/or the calf muscles on both sides to improve walking and/or sitting and self-care skills. The Baclofen pump and selective posterior rhizotomies are for treating more diffuse muscle spasms and essentially all the muscles of the trunk and lower extremities at the same time in a more widespread manner. ...
Source: www.miller-dwan.com
Why choose the Baclofen pump (intrathecal Baclofen - ITB) over selective posterior rhizotomy (SPR)?
Please see Question 2 and its answer above. Most people feel that because the Baclofen pump requires less surgery and is entirely reversible with a less than one percent chance of a serious lifelong problem, it is the reasonable first choice. It is most important the child and/or adult receiving the Baclofen pump is able to frequently attend the rehabilitation center for follow-up visits post surgery. ...
Source: www.miller-dwan.com
Will a baclofen pump cure my spasticity?
While a baclofen pump (ITB therapy) won’t eliminate the primary source of your condition or cure your disease, it may help you manage your severe spasticity symptoms and might allow you to participate in daily activities that have become difficult or impossible.
Source: www.medtronic.com.au
Q What addictions is baclofen good for?
A In animal studies it eliminates the motivation to consume alcohol, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and nicotine. There is also promising evidence that it can eliminate the craving for food in bulimia and binge-eating. Research has recently established that people with drug addictions share common patterns of neurotransmission with people who have what are called nondrug addictions, such as compulsive gambling, compulsive shopping, binge-eating, and sex addiction. ...
Source: www.olivierameisen.com
Will intrathecal baclofen therapy cure my spasticity?
While a baclofen pump (ITB therapy) won't eliminate the primary source of your condition or cure your disease, it may help you manage your severe spasticity symptoms and might allow you to participate in daily activities that have become difficult or impossible.
Source: www.medtronic.com.au
If oral baclofen didn’t work for me, why would intrathecal baclofen work?
Because the drug is delivered directly to where it is needed in the spinal fluid, only minimal amounts circulate throughout the body in the blood. This helps minimise the possible side effects that can accompany oral baclofen. This pump is only for those who cannot take oral baclofen therapy.
Source: www.medtronic.com.au
If oral baclofen didn't work for me, why would intrathecal baclofen work?
Because the drug is delivered directly to where it is needed in the spinal fluid, only minimal amounts circulate throughout the body in the blood. This helps minimise the possible side effects that can accompany oral baclofen.
Source: www.medtronic.com.au
Am I a candidate for a baclofen pump?
Candidates for a baclofen pump (ITB therapy) must: Have severe spasticity that interferes with their function, care and comfort, or activities of daily living Show a positive response to a baclofen injection in a standard screening test Have sufficient body size to support the pump; the pump must be implanted 2.5 centimetres (1 inch) or less from the surface of the skin Do not have any infection Are not allergic to baclofen In addition, healthcare professionals may use the following criteria to determine if you are a ca... ...
Source: www.medtronic.com.au
Q What is the evidence for baclofen’s effectiveness against addiction?
A Multiple animal studies have shown that baclofen suppresses the motivation to consume addictive substances at doses in the range of 1 to 5 milligrams per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight. Laboratory animals addicted to alcohol, amphetamine, cocaine, heroin and other opiates, and nicotine lose all interest in them when given baclofen in this dosage range. I was the first person to transpose these findings to human addiction, completely freeing myself from severe alcoholism as described in my book. ...
Source: www.olivierameisen.com
Q What makes baclofen different from other medications for addiction?
A Other medications at best slightly reduce the symptoms and consequences of addiction. Baclofen can stop them completely.
Source: www.olivierameisen.com
Q How much would a randomized trial of baclofen for addiction cost?
A A randomized trial with a statistically significant number of patients would probably cost around $500,000. Weigh that against the fact that every year more than 100,000 people die from alcohol-related causes in the United States, around 270 people a day. Worldwide, the death toll from alcohol-related causes is 2 million people a year, around 5,500 a day. ...
Source: www.olivierameisen.com
Q Is taking baclofen substituting one drug for another?
A Baclofen has been confirmed to be non-addictive and non-euphoric. There is no craving for baclofen. Daily use of baclofen for addiction is not substituting one drug for another, but is exactly like daily use of beta blockers for hypertension.
Source: www.olivierameisen.com
Q Are there problems getting used to taking baclofen?
A When you first take baclofen or an increased dose, which like all prescription medicines should only be done as prescribed and supervised by a physician, it can make you feel sleepy or induce muscular weakness for a day or two. This passes, and you can then increase the dose again, until you find the level that frees you from craving and other symptoms and consequences of addiction. ...
Source: www.olivierameisen.com
Q How much baclofen does a patient need?
A It varies from patient to patient, depending probably on physical size, extent of dependency, and other factors. Studies have shown that animals lose all motivation to consume addictive substances when they are given baclofen in the range of 1 to 5 milligrams per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight. ...
Source: www.olivierameisen.com
Q Weren’t you afraid that baclofen might be harmful?
A Yes, very much so. My greatest fear was that baclofen would relax my muscles so much that I would stop breathing in my sleep. But after years of struggling with alcoholism, I thought it was better to die with dignity in the search for a cure. It was wonderful to learn later that baclofen is such a safe drug.
Source: www.olivierameisen.com
Will intrathecal baclofen therapy work for me?
Candidates for a baclofen pump (ITB therapy) must: Have severe spasticity that interferes with your function, care and comfort, or activities of daily living Show a positive response to a baclofen injection in a standard screening test Have sufficient body size to support the pump; the pump must be implanted 2.5 cm (1 inch) or less from the surface of the skin Not have any infection Not be allergic to baclofen In addition, healthcare professionals may use the following criteria to determine if you are a candidate for IT... ...
Source: www.medtronic.com.au
What is baclofen and how is it used in children with holoprosencephaly? What are the recommended dosage and side effects?
Baclofen is used as a "muscle relaxant" to help decrease muscle tone in children and adults with spasticity from various causes, including HPE. It can be quite helpful for several reasons. If the child is uncomfortable from the high muscle tone for instance, it may help. Also, once muscle tone gets very high, it sometimes can be quite difficult to care for your child. For instance, if the muscle tone in the hips is too high, it could be difficult to open the child's legs to change the diaper. ...
Source: hpe.stanford.edu
Q Has baclofen been specifically approved for addiction?
A Prescribing baclofen for addiction is what is known as an “off-label” use. Once the FDA has approved a medicine for a specific purpose, physicians can prescribe it off-label for other conditions they think it can help. The AMA says the deciding factor in off-label prescribing is “the best interest of the patient.” Off-label prescriptions are very common. Over 23% of all prescriptions, and over 60% in cancer care, are off-label. ...
Source: www.olivierameisen.com
Q Does medical science know why baclofen acts differently from other medications for addiction?
A Baclofen is one of only two substances known to affect the GABA -B receptor in the brain, and the only one that is itself non-addictive. Through the GABA -B receptor, baclofen has a beneficial effect on three neurotransmitters — dopamine, glutamate, and GABA — that are part of the brain’s reward system and are involved in all addictive and compulsive behaviors, as well as in disorders such as anxiety and depression. More research is needed to discover exactly how baclofen does this.
Source: www.olivierameisen.com
Q Haven’t there been some limited trials of baclofen for alcoholism and cocaine addiction?
A Yes, but at very minimal doses that are too low to stop the symptoms and consequences of addiction. In fact, the amount of baclofen used so far in alcoholism trials is less than the amount that neurologists start children on for relief of muscle spasms. I tried baclofen on myself at the same doses that have been shown to eliminate the motivation to consume addictive substances in animals, and it completely freed me from alcoholism. ...
Source: www.olivierameisen.com
Q Does baclofen help with the comorbidities of addiction, such as anxiety, depression, and compulsive disorders?
A Yes. Anxiety, depression, and compulsive disorders trigger patterns of neurotransmission that are very similar to those seen in both drug and nondrug addictions. In all these cases, the levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine, glutamate, and GABA are out of whack. Baclofen helps balance dopamine, glutamate, and GABA levels through its action on the GABA -B receptors in the brain. ...
Source: www.olivierameisen.com
Q How did you find out about baclofen?
A I was a desperate alcoholic, and my physicians and I thought I was going to die from drinking. A friend who had often heard me say that I suspected my chronic muscular tension and anxiety were connected with my later addiction to alcohol, noticed a story in The New York Times about baclofen, which said that a paraplegic cocaine addict who was taking baclofen to control his muscle spasms complained that the baclofen blunted his cocaine “high,” but that baclofen also limited his craving when he couldn’t get cocaine. ...
Source: www.olivierameisen.com
Q To stay free from addiction, does a person need to keep taking baclofen?
A Yes, it’s like taking insulin for diabetes or medicines for other chronic conditions like hypertension.
Source: www.olivierameisen.com
Q. Will physicians receive additional payment for the morphine or baclofen used during the refilling procedure?
Yes. Physicians should code for the morphine or baclofen. Review payer policies for coding advice, as they may vary.
Source: www.codmanpumps.com
Q Does giving addicted people baclofen let them evade personal responsibility for their actions and for getting their lives in order?
A Not at all. Understanding addiction as a biological illness does not mean the end of the need for personal responsibility, motivation, and willpower in recovery. People still have to be motivated to end their addictions and to do everything in their power to achieve that. I have spoken to a number of problem drinkers and alcoholics who resist the idea of taking baclofen because they are not really motivated to quit. ...
Source: www.olivierameisen.com
